Conductivity, superhydrophobicity and mechanical properties of cotton fabric treated with polypyrrole by in-situ polymerization using the binary oxidants ammonium Peroxodisulfate and ferric chloride

In this study, polypyrrole deposition and a superhydrophobic coating were applied to cotton fabrics to develop a self-cleaning and conductive fabric with electric heating performance. The binary oxidants ammonium peroxodisulfate and ferric chloride were introduced during the polymerization to adjust the size of the polypyrrole particles for creating diverse nano-scale roughness on the surface of the cotton fabrics and to prevent degradation in the mechanical properties of textiles. The in-situ polymerization of polypyrrole that introduced the binary oxidants succeeded in depositing polypyrrole particles on the surface of the cotton fabrics. Binary oxidants formed small polypyrrole particles contrary to the single oxidants. In terms of conductivity, the surface resistivity decreased as the FeCl 3 ratio in the oxidants increased. The binary oxidants led to a similar level of conductivity even though the amount of polypyrrole deposition was less than that in the case of the single oxidant. The electrical heating performance improved as the surface resistance was decreased, resulting in an up to 20℃ increase in the surface temperature. On the other hand, the duration of the electro-heating effect was shorter with higher surface temperature. In terms of wettability, a superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 150° or higher and a shedding angle of less than 10° was achieved under all oxidant conditions because of the nano-scale roughness caused by polypyrrole. Polypyrrole deposition reduced the tensile strength of the cotton fabric and increased its stiffness. The binary oxidants exhibited smaller changes in the mechanical properties of the textile than the single oxidants.